For many years digitizing, writing, or graphics tablets have incorporated menu strips. These are usually a series of square or rectangular blocks along the top edge of the drawing area. Clicking on one of the blocks in the menu strip with the pointing device would execute a command or change a tablet operating parameter. The problem has always been that the operator had to look away from the screen to the tablet to locate the desired menu block. This is undesirable.
It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the art for a digitizer system wherein the user is efficiently informed or made aware of the location of the pointer (e.g. stylus, mouse, or puck) within a menu strip area of the tablet, so that the user knows in which portion of the menu strip the pointer is located without having to look downward from the screen toward the tablet.
It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill the above-described needs, as well as other needs in the art which will become more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.